Nearly all smokers start by the time they’re 18.
Big Tobacco’s business model, and billions of dollars in profits,
depend on hooking our kids.

The tobacco industry spends over $100 million a year
on marketing in Minnesota alone.

Companies like Swisher Sweets actively sponsor up-and-coming artists that appeal to younger people.
They also use tactics like free music downloads and pop-up concerts in convenience stores.
Some tobacco companies use trending social media hashtags to be part of social conversations.

Who do you think tobacco companies are
targeting with candy-flavored tobacco?

It’s no coincidence these packages look a lot like candy or
gum. The bright and colorful packages are designed to appeal
to kids. 35 percent of Minnesota
high school students have
tried flavored cigars.

E-cigarettes and kids.

E-cigarette makers are allowed to use fruit and candy flavors such as
gummy bear, cotton candy and many others, and we know flavored tobacco
appeals to kids. E-cigarettes may also raise teens’ risk for future smoking.

Menthol makes it easier to start. And harder to quit.

Menthol cigarette use by Minnesota high school smokers doubled from 2000 to 2014,
resulting in nearly half of Minnesota teen smokers smoking menthol.
71 percent of African American youth smokers and 71 percent of LGBTQ youth smokers use menthol.

35 percent of Minnesota high school students have tried flavored cigars.

E-cigarette makers are allowed to use fruit and candy flavors such as gummy bear, cotton candy and many others that appeal to children and teens, and e-cigarettes may encourage youth to try other tobacco products.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults: A Report of the Surgeon General. 2012.

Menthol cigarette use by Minnesota high school smokers doubled from 2000-2014, resulting in nearly half of Minnesota teen smokers smoking menthol.

71 percent of African American youth smokers and 71 percent of LGBTQ youth smokers use menthol.

Villanti, AC, et al., “Changes in the prevalence and correlates of menthol cigarette use in the USA, 2004-2014,” Tobacco Control, published online October 20, 2016.
National Youth Advocacy Coalition. Coming Out About Smoking: A Report from the National LGBTQ Young Adult Tobacco Project. 2010.

HOW FAR WE’VE COME

The number of Minnesota middle and high school students who use tobacco has dropped–down to 55,000 from 100,000 in 2005 and 118,000 in 2002.

More than 35 percent of Minnesota high school and middle school students have tried flavored cigars. Menthol cigarette use by Minnesota high school smokers increased from 20 percent to 44 percent from 2000 to 2014.

According to a recent study published in Minnesota Medicine, raising the legal tobacco age to 21 would reduce the number of youth and young adult smokers in Minnesota by more than 30,000 in the next 15 years.

“Raising the Minimum Legal Sale Age for Tobacco to 21: The Estimated Effect for Minnesota” Minnesota Medicine. 2017

Every 10 percent increase in the price of tobacco reduces the number of youth who smoke by 5 percent.

The youth smoking rate was down to 10.6 percent in 2014 from 22 percent in 2005.

In 2015, Minnesota spent just 42 percent of what CDC recommends for an effective program.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Best Practices for Comprehensive Tobacco Control Programs – 2014. 2014.
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Broken promises to our children: A state-by-state look at the 1998 state tobacco settlement 17 years later. 2015.